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Caption

Snow on Mount Kilimanjaro in 1993, satellite image. The snow and ice on Kilimanjaro, in Tanzania, has been receding in recent years. This is due to increasing temperatures in the region, linked to climate change due to human activities. The ice cap is over 11,000 years old, but 80% of the volume of ice has been lost in the last century. Kilimanjaro is the tallest peak in Africa at 5895 metres, high enough for snow and ice to remain year-round despite its equatorial location. The volcano itself is not currently active, although there are many fumaroles at its summit and collapses and landslides are frequent. Image taken by a LandSat satellite on 17th February 1993. For the snow cap in 2000 and 2002, see images E380/663-664.